| Source |
Conditional Blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ: Forgiveness, salvation, exaltation, eternal families, hope, overcome weaknesses, godly character/divine attributes, self control, guidance, comfort, joy, peace, strength, healing, etc.
To receive the conditional blessings of the atonement, we must live the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
· Faith- belief in, trust in, and commitment to obey Christ
· Repent- submit will to Christ and change behavior to follow Him; seek forgiveness and a change of heart
· Covenants- make/keep promises by priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ, such as baptism.
· Holy Ghost- receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, invite and follow His guidance
· Endure to the end- consistently grow our faith, repent, keep our covenants, and receive the Holy Ghost
|
This lesson will focus on enduring to the end.
1. "And now, my
beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in
following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved... For the gate by which ye should enter is
repentance and baptism... and then are ye in this strait and narrow path which
leads to eternal life...
"And now, my beloved brethren, after ye
have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not
come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him,
relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must
press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of
hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward,
feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the
Father: Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Nephi 31:16-20).
2. "Once we have
entered the strait and narrow path by our faith in Jesus Christ, repentance,
and the ordinances of baptism and confirmation, we must exert every effort to
stay on the path. We do so by continually exercising faith in Jesus Christ,
repenting, making commitments, and following the Spirit... We should try every
day to remain free from sin so that we can always have the Holy Ghost with us.
In the covenant of baptism, we promise our Father in Heaven that we will obey
His commandments for the rest of our lives. If we fall short, we must repent in
order to retain the blessings of the covenant. We promise to do good works,
serve others, and follow the Savior’s example. In the scriptures this lifelong
commitment is often called “enduring to the end.”
"By following the gospel path, we can
draw closer to God, conquer temptation and sin, and enjoy the gift of the Holy
Ghost more abundantly. As we patiently, faithfully, and consistently follow
this path throughout our lives, we will qualify for eternal life. Faith in
Christ; repentance; making, renewing, and keeping covenants; and being cleansed
by the Spirit become a pattern of living. Our actions in daily life are shaped
and governed by these principles. Peace and joy come by following this way, and
we gradually grow in Christlike attributes. Eventually, as we follow this way
and “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ … and endure to the end,” we
are promised, “Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20)" (Preach My Gospel).
Q What does it mean to
endure to the end? What blessings come to us as we endure to the end?
Q How can we grow our
faith every day? Repent? Keep our Covenants? Receive the Holy Ghost?
Consistency
3. "[Jesus] gave us
His gospel, a pearl beyond price, the grand key of knowledge that, once
understood and applied, unlocks a life of happiness, peace, and fulfillment....
It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His
disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion.
Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the
blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can
experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events
on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator
discipleship” is a preferred if not a primary way of worshipping. Ours is not a
secondhand religion. We cannot receive the blessings of the gospel merely by
observing the good that others do. We need to get off the sidelines and
practice what we preach" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2009 General
Conference).
4. "In contrast to
the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of
Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.... the Final Judgment is not
just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It
is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have
become.... The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a
list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account.... The gospel of
Jesus Christ is the plan by which we can become what children of God are
supposed to become. [A] spotless and perfected state will result from a steady
succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions, an accumulation of right
choices, and from continuing repentance" (Dallin H. Oaks, October 2000
General Conference).
Q Why is it important
to consistently try to live the Gospel? What blessings are lost if we are
sporadic in our efforts?
Q How can we become
more consistent in our efforts to live the Gospel?
Q What are some things
God has given to help us consistently live the Gospel?
Potential Pitfalls
Q What are some things
that might keep us from enduring to the end? How can we overcome these things?
5. "When things of
the world crowd in, all too often the wrong things take highest priority....
Satan has a powerful tool to use against good people. It is distraction. He
would have good people fill life with “good things” so there is no room for the
essential ones" (Richard G. Scott, April 2001 General Conference).
6. "Except for the
Lord, we have all made mistakes. The question is not whether we will trip and
fall but, rather, how will we respond? Some, after making mistakes, stray from
the fold. This is unfortunate. Do you not know that the Church is a place for
imperfect people to gather together—even with all their mortal frailties—and
become better? Every Sunday in every meetinghouse throughout the world, we find
mortal, imperfect men, women, and children who meet together in brotherhood and
charity, striving to become better people, to learn of the Spirit, and to lend
encouragement and support to others. I am not aware of any sign on the door of
our meetinghouses that reads “Restricted Entrance—Perfect People Only."
.... To you who have strayed because you have been offended, can you not set
your hurt and anger aside? Can you not fill your hearts with love? There is a
place for you here." (Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2008 General Conference).
7. "[Some] may look,
act, think, and speak differently than those around them and that sometimes
causes them to assume they don’t fit in. They conclude that they are not
needed. Tied to this misconception is the erroneous belief that all members of
the Church should look, talk, and be alike. The Lord did not people the earth
with a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to value the piccolos of the
world. Every instrument is precious and adds to the complex beauty of the
symphony. All of Heavenly Father’s children are different in some degree, yet
each has his own beautiful sound that adds depth and richness to the
whole" (Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2008 General Conference).
8. "Sorrowfully, on
occasion, some are willing to set aside... gospel truths... because they get
diverted on some historical issue or some scientific hypothesis not central to
their exaltation.... They exchange the absolute certainty of the Restoration
for a doubt, and in that process they fall into the trap of losing faith in the
many things they do know because of a few things they do not know. There will
always be some seemingly intellectual crisis looming on the horizon as long as
faith is required and our minds are finite, but likewise there will always be
the sure and solid doctrines of the Restoration to cling to, which will provide
the rock foundation upon which our testimonies may be built" (Tadd R.
Callister, October 2009 General Conference).
9. "Discipleship
does not guarantee freedom from the storms of life.... There are days, perhaps
even months and years, when life is just hard. We experience our fair share of
adversity, heartache, loneliness, pain, grief—sometimes, it seems, more than
our fair share.... At these moments of crisis and challenge, some choose to
abandon faith just at the time when it most needs to be embraced.... God is
forsaken in the all-too-human yet mistaken fear that He has forsaken us.... As
the mists of darkness gather around us, we are only lost if we choose to let go
of the iron rod, which is the word of God.
"The Savior’s parable of the wise man
who built his house upon a rock has power precisely because it illustrates that
life’s challenges befell the wise man too. The rains fell, the winds blew, the
floods rose up. Yet he survived it all because he had built upon a sure
foundation and, crucially, he stayed there when the storm came" (David S.
Baxter, October 2006 General Conference).
Conclusion
10. "Every good
thing depends on getting and keeping the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives.
Everything depends on that.... What then shall we do? We will “take upon [us]
the name of [the] Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which
he has given [us]; that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us].”
Everything depends on that.
"One of the most popular and attractive
philosophies of men is to live life your own way, do your own thing, be
yourself, don’t let others tell you what to do. But the Lord said, “I am the
way.” He said, “Follow me.” He said, “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily
I say unto you, even as I am.”....
"We might think we can’t really follow
Him because the standard of His life is so astonishingly high as to seem
unreachable.... Don’t ever believe that. While the standard of the Lord is the
highest, don’t ever think it is only reachable by a select few who are most
able.... No institution, plan, program, or system ever conceived by men has
access to the redeeming and transforming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, while the Lord’s invitation to
follow Him is the highest of all, it is also achievable by everyone, not because
we are able, but because He is, and because He can make us able too. “We
believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind [everyone, living and
dead] may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”
....
"We have only two
choices. We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have
peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some
other way... and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without
guidance.... Life is hard, but life is simple. Get on the path and never, ever
give up. You never give up. You just keep on going. You don’t quit, and you
will make it. There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ
is the Way" (Lawrence E. Corbridge, General Conference October 2008).
